The U.S. Thanksgiving holiday is fast approaching. I was wondering, for those who celebrate, do you go the "traditional" turkey & fixings route, or do you prefer a different approach?

So happy to be part of this forum. I am cooking for a few Vegans in San Francisco at itsadogslifestudio this Thanksgiving holiday. Was wondering if anyone had a good alternative to using dairy in the pumpkin pie recipe. Wonder if coconut milk would be a possibility?
Any thoughts on this would be much appreciated.

First off, Philo, welcome to the forum. Hope you enjoy it here, and become an active member of the group.

Given how they're made, I don't see how coconut milk or cream would be any different than using the original dairy. And, in a traditional recipe, you'd have eggs as well.

Let me say, too, that I am philosphically opposed to forcing recipes. If people have food restrictions---self-imposed or otherwise---then the trick is to find or develop dishes that work within those restrictions, rather than trying to force traditional recipes to fit.

To put a point on it: Even though it's Thanksgiving, nobody says you have to serve pumpkin pie.

Steam tofu for 3-4 minutes in a vegetalbe steamer, then cool. Whirl nuts in blender until finely powdered; add water to make cashew milk. Reserve half of the milk. Add remaining ingredients to blender and process until very smooth, adding more cashew milk if necessary.

Yield: 2 1/2 cups.

I have not made this recipe, so have no first hand opinion. But it does sound incredibly on the sweet side to me.

Last edited by KYHeirloomer on Tue Nov 24, 2009 3:09 pm; edited 1 time in total

Just a few comments about pumpkin, if you're not used to working with it.

First, it's always better to use a pie pumpkin than a jack-o-lantern type, as the latter tend to be stringy and have a lower sugar content. If you can't find pie pumpkins, substitute some of the orange winter squash such as hubbard, butternut, or cushaw.

BTW, most canned pumpkin actually is either cushaw or hubbard squash.

Second, if destined for puree, it's better to roast the pumpkin/squash than to steam or boil it. Steaming puts too much moisture into the squash, and the puree suffers by being watery---which, in turn, affects the final product.

Although tofu is usually used when a creamy substitute is being saught, there are other possibilities.

One alternative is to boil rice in soy milk until the rice is very soft. Then run the whole thing through the blender. The result is a creamy liquid. Obviously, the precise consistency is determined by the amount of rice used.

There is still the question of binding ingredients. In the VT recipe I posted, for instance, they use viscous sweeteners for that purpose---honey and molassas. In a commercial version they would, no doubt, use high fructose corn syrup. But that always produces an end product that is far too sweet for my tastes.

sand buckets of thanks..._________________"I've never accepted the external appearance of things as the whole truth. The world is much more elaborate than the nerves of our eye can tell us." - James Gleeson

Hi and welcome, Philo!
Some years ago, my sister forwarded and article about Gloria Steinem (founding editor of Ms. magazine) and her friend, Wilma Mankiller (still chief of the Cherokee nation, I believe). They made a pumpkin pie with coconut milk and macadamia nuts. I know I still have the clipping somewhere and will see if I can find it. They confessed to eating two pieces each because it was so good. _________________"Food is an important part of a balanced diet..." Fran Leibowitz

Mmel'ours, while such a pie might taste delicious, coconut milk is a dairy product. As such, lacto/ovo vegetarians can eat it. But vegans---who eat no animal products of any kind---cannot.

A common misconception is that coconut milk is the liquid found inside the coconut. Such is not the case. Coconut milk is made by macerating coconut in milk, then straining away the solids. A similar product is coconut cream, which, obviously, uses cream instead of milk.

No, coconut milk is made from pressed coconut meat (you can google this) and water. There are products that sweeten the coconut, products called "cream of coconut", something called "Coco Lopez", etc. to put in drinks and recipes, but made with water and coconut. Of course you CAN mix coconut with milk instead of water. You would not do this if you avoid dairy, regular coconut milk should be used.

Yes, to add to the thread, coconut cream is the "first pressing" of water and the meat of a coconut and results in a thicker milk (sometimes called cream). The same coconut meat can be pressed a second time, for a thinner coconut milk. In Southeast and South Asia cooking, recipes frequently call for both types of milk during different stages of cooking.

Both coconut milk and cream are suitable for both vegans and vegetarians.

I'd always had this image in my head of the coconuts sitting in little milking stalls with the little suction cups attached to them. Think I need some more chocolate. _________________"Food is an important part of a balanced diet..." Fran Leibowitz